on nesting of the Red-headed Bullfinch. 205


She made an excellent nest, and the interior looked as though

turned out of white wood ; it was so smoothly arranged in place.


They had selected the most exposed spot in the whole aviary,

right in the open and close under the top wire-netting, so I was not

nearly so satisfied as the birds evidently were. Eventually I got my

man to climb on top and fix a square of glass right over the nest to

pi'otect it from cats and weather. They did not seem to mind in the

least.


The hen did not lay for a day or two after this and then

deposited four eggs in the nest, the last being laid about a week

after the nest was apparently complete. She used to fly off about

the same time every morning for a few minutes, so we could see into

the nest by climbing a ladder at the back of the aviary. The cock

was most attentive all the time they were sitting, and would feed the

hen whenever she permitted him to do so.


One morning on returning to the nest I noticed the hen

feeding, and this continued for three days, but on returning to the

nest on the fourth day she only remained a minute and then flew

off again, but returned again. Expecting that something had gone

wrong I got my man to inspect, and he found the nest empty except

for one fertile but crushed egg, so this was the end of this attempt.


I thought they were going to resume operations, but both

went into a thorough moult and I was glad they did. The weather

was warm and sunny and they had a most satisfactory moult,

emerging many shades richer and brighter in colour, and not like the

same birds, more particularly the cock. He was now a real Orange¬

headed Bullfinch.


I took them indoors for the winter and put them out again

last May, when they made a beginning at nesting as before, but were

some months before they started properly. This time they built in a

holly, and I never thought the nest would be built, as most of the

material fell several inches below the desired spot, but eventually a

large pile of material was collected and gradually a foundation was

formed and the nest built. Three eggs were laid this time, all fertile,

but they failed to hatch out, and the birds built a fresh nest and sat

again with the same result.


It was now late in the year, and as they had not attempted



